Floor-trough structure for bridges



J'uly 14, 1925. f 1,546,118

C. H. CHUBBUCK l FLOOR TROUGH STRUCTURE FOR` BRIDGES Filed Dec. 6, 19223 Sheets-Sheell 1A /OooowoooooooooooooommooooooooooooLoo=ooo9oooooooooowoooooomooooo O O O im A July 14, 1925. 1,546,118

C. H. CHUBBUCK FLOOR TROUGH S-TRUGTURE FOR BRIDGES Filed DEC. 6, 1922 3Sheets-Sheet 2 gooo -ooojg ,z5 lO O a J1 if zZ J1 "i0 J0 l 11 j I o: Qlzji; 1 if) olooo l ooo:-

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 6, 1,922

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Patented July 14, 1925.

narran .STATES PATENT]oFF'lc-.ziav

CLARENCE H cnUBBUcK, or CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoR ToI'.MecLIivtrI'C-v r-,rAnsHALL Gontran?, er Pfarren-URGE, rENnsYLvAn-rnrrCORPORATION oF PENNSYLVANIA.

FLOOR-TROGH STRUCTURE FOR-BRIDGES.

Application filed ecemcer To all 107mm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE II. CHUB- BUGK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cynwyd, in the county of Mont# gomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invente-d a certain new and useful Floor- TroughStructure for Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to floor trough structure for bridges.

The purpose of my invention is to build the troughs of bent plates asdistinguished from rolled metal shapes.

I thus secure easy and inexpensive manufacture with the equipment of theordinary bridge shop, along with greaty flexibility of construction tosuit any desired spacing bei tween trough centers, any desired depth oftrough and any angle of webs necessary to use plates in stock or readilyobtainable from current rollings by the mills.

At the same time I maintain a high nioment of inertia and a low weightof metal per lineal foot of trough section.

A vfurther purpose is to facilitate the use ofdifferent thicknesses ofmetal for the web and flange Velements respectively of the trough. 1 f tFurther purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by but three formaselecting` these forms because of their practicability anddesirabilityfrom different -standpoints and particularly because theywell illustrate the principles of my invention. g

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section upon line 1-1 in Figure 2,illustrating one form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section upon line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure seen inyFigures 1 Aand 2.

Figures 4l and 5 are fragmentary sections through the troughs and showother forms of my invention. Y

Figures 6 and 7 are fragmentary sections of the troughs of Figures 1 and5 respectively modified byv having` the horizontal plates at top andbottom heavier than the inclined plates.

Figure 8 is a perspectivel view of a flat 6', 1922.. Serial N0. 605,178.

plate intended to be bent to form a wall of my trough.

Figure 9'is a perspective view of the strucurev of Figure 8 afterbending. Y

Figures 10 and' 11 are top plan lviews showing my Vbridge flooringapplied to curves in single tracks.

Figures 12 and 13 are plan views of plates used `respectively in Figures10 and 11.

Figure 14' is an end elevation of the plate shown in Figure 13.- f

In the drawings similar numerals'indicate like parts.

Describing in illustration and not in limitation, and referring to thedrawings I have shown my trough floor as rused on a deck plate girderspan in which the plate girders are shown at the sides 10 and which areconnected by the angle cross frames 11 through `gusset plates 12 joinedhorizontal-ly at top and bottom by theangles 13.

My trough structure is adapted to any form of Aspan and the foundationdecl; plate girder span is shown merely as an example of one form towhich it may be applied.E

Upon the foundation declr plate girder span I place the trough floor,and inthe illustration the trough sections are spaced to correspond withthev spacingof the ties 14 for rails 15. The concrete and ballast `withor without waterproofingis shown Prior toV my invention a numberv ofdifferent trough floorelements have been proposed and used, generallybased on' the use of rolled angles and plates or rolled Zs' and plates.The general railroad practiceis now and for many years has beenconfinedto some such combination.

All of these forms are objectionable as requiring separate sizes and inmostfcases dif,- ferent 'angles of rolledshapes, for each differentdepth of trough or= spacingbetween trough centers.

In bridge building it is necessary to meet varying needs and widelydifferent specifications, particularly in the lcase of railroads, whichdiffer in their practice sometimes even in the samev country and whosestandard practices vary widely indifferent countries.- The largestfactor in thisisth'e'variation in theA spacing'between railroad ties,

making it necessary to have different spacing between the troughsections. Because ot this and sometimes ol? other considerations, thedepth of the trough sections vary widely. The requisite standard formstor floor elements with diagonal webs are frequently very hard to get,are expensive to fabricate and are unsuited to meet conditions which arenot standard.

I avoid unnecessary delay, undue expense and faulty adaptation toconditions not standard by providing a -bent plate structure adapted toeasy and inexpensive manufacture from material andv with appliancesavailable in ordinary bridge shops and adapted to meet readily any ofthe varying speciiications with respect to trough spacing, trough depthand inclination ot the trough walls.

qWhere diagonal webs are desired another fault of saidirpriorstructnreshas been the placing of excessive metal in the middle, along the planeof neutral strain, where 1t is not needed and has but little etl'ecttoward strengthening and stiiifening the floor. The result has been alow moment of inertia and a consequent unnecessarily low strength tor agiven weight ol2 material per .lineal toot.

In my bent plate iioor, along with diagonal webs I avoid this lowstrength by placing the lap joints at the top and bottom 1nstead of inthe middle, thus obtaining material increase in the moment of inertiaand consequently in the strength for a given weight ot metal; andmoreover am able to useiheavier plates at the top and bottom than at thesides to still further increase the moment of inertia for a given Weightof material.

lNhile my bent plate yfloor has been designed primarily forrailroadbridges it is likewise well' adapted to highway bridges, advantageouslyand inexpensively replacing, for example, the usual types o'l' troughflooring.

As all ot my plates are initially flat they may be sheared fromlargerplates and tapered plates (Figure l) can be prepared as readily asstraight. punches and riveters required are all standard shop tools. p

In the form shown in Figure l I use bent plates which may be exactlyalike where the top and bottom plates need not be heavier than theinclined web plates and which are bent up from flat parallel-edge platesI7- by bending along` the lines 18 to form flanges 19.

The plates are shown in Figure 1 as all alike and interchangeable,` butobviously this may be varied by using lighter plates for the inclinedplates at 23 than Jfor the horizontal plates at 23', as shown in Figure6, which would further increase the moment of inertia of the structurefor a given weight of material. The moment of inertia is al- The shears,presses,

ready high from placing the lap joints of the structure near the top andbottom.

In Figure l the horizontal plates at top and bottom lie respectivelyabove and below the ends of the diagonal plates to desirably increasethe depth. Following the nomen-V clature ot a Afloor in whichV the bentilanges are at the right in all the plates, the bent flanges 22 oi' thetop plates overlap at the right and are secured to the edges of flatportions 23 ot the adjoining diagonal plates whose bent flangescorrespondingly overlap but lie above the tlat plate portions 23 of thebottom sections. rlhe bent flanges 22 of these bottom sections lie tothe `left oit the fiat portions 23 of the next diagonal plates whosebent ilanges 22 lie beneath the flat portions of the top plates. It willbe 0bvious that these could run equally toward the let'tv instead oftoward the right with the flanges extendingY toward the lett instead oftoward the right with equal advantage.

All of these bent plates are rivetedasat 24s through punched or drilledholes 25 and, as will be seen, give half the number of overlaps in oragainst the plane ot the top and bottom plates and the remainingoverlaps in the diagonal section closely adjoining the top and bottomplates, securing a very high moment of inertia.

It is best to have the trough sections flared rather than straight togive ample room for riveting and also because. the laring sections arebetter adapted to use with concrete. l

'Ihe holes for the rivets 24 may 4be punched either before or afterbending the plates. 'All of the `ioints are riveted. The

trough structure, as usual," is riveted to the back of the girder l0.

In the form of vtloor illustrated in Figure 4 the horizontal plates 2Gand 27 are of trough shape, having both sides -ot the plates bent toform iianges diverging one llt) from the other; and the inclined plates28 are 'Hat making lap-joints with the diagonal flanges o the top andbottom plates'.

This 'form of Figure 4l does not place the 'lap-joints as advantageouslytor high-nioment of inertia `as in the forms Vof the other iigures asthe joints are less distant here from thev plane of neutral stress thanin the forms ot these other figures.

This form has the added disadvantageot being difficult torivet up insections. It has the advantage that the rivets do not pro-ject herebeyond the horizontalfbottom and top plates, which is sometimesdesirable. The top and bottom. plates can be made ot' dit ferentthickness it desired from the thickness ot the inclined plates.

. In the `form of Figure 5 the'horizontal plates 29 are flat and theinclinedfplates .30 are bent adjacent both edges,one to the Figure l.

right and the lother to the A:left in theillu-stration to providevla'pLjoifnt engagement with the horizontal plates, which `la'tterlierespectively above and below the flanges ot' the inclined plates'orWebs. Y

The forms shown inFi'gure l and Figure 5 lend themselves' well to usealso where the top and bottom plates (flanges) are desirably ofdifferent thicknessfro'm the 'webs and ithese constructions are shown inFigures 6 and 7 lrespectively.. In Figure 6 the topand' 'bottom plates23are of heavier bent plates than lare tl'iejwebsl?) kand in Figure theplates 29 are. of greater thickness than the webs 30.

The form of Figures 5 andv 7 is somewhat better than either of the otherforms shown in having the lap-joints all in the horizontal portions ofthe top and bottom with a resultant somewhat greater strength andstiliness for av given weight of material.

Because my plates are initially flat they can be bent from taperedplates as readily as from plates having parallel edges, adapting myflooring to use in joining skew spans. They are specially suited forthis because either edge of any plate' can be bent atany angle to themain plane. of the plate, to comiect up with the existing forms so as tounite with the skew ends to the best advantage.

The same capability of tapering plates adapts my flooring to bridgesupon which curved tracks are to be laid and I have shown two forms ofthis in Figures l0 and 11 respectively. In these figures theV bridgespans are omitted and the flooring only appears in full lines.

In Figure l() tapered plates 232 are used for the top plates only, of afloor corresponding except for the tapering to that in It will be notedthat the entire tapering is effected in the top plates, leaving thetroughs of uniform width and slope,

throughout their lengths.

In Figure l1 the form of trough section seen in Figure 5 is used and thetapering is divided between the top and bottom plates, 292, slightlytapering the widths of the troughs as well as the spaces between them.

It will be evident that in all of my structures the use of bent platesbrings the construction within the ra-nge of the tools in an ordinarybridge shop and permits varying the thickness of metal in the horizontaland inclined portions respectively; that itl permits varying the spacingbetween trough sections, that it places the overlapping metal sectionsclose to the top and bottom, thereby obtaining high moment of inertia,and that Y it permits substitution of parts made at the point oferection in case of defects found in any of the plates.

In view of my invention and disclosure., modifications and variationsmay well occur to Aothers skilled in the alrt to .meet particu# larneedor individual whim and I 'pu'rlpese including herein all `suchmodificationsand variations in -s'o fair' as" they `tall,within thereasonable spirit and scope. ol ymy claims.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what Y plates and webs, eachcomprising flat plates i bent at one side only and having the bent edgeat t-he same side of the plates and webs across the section of thefloor, the body of each plate and web being united to the ange of theadjoining member.

3. A metal trough floor for bridges comprising a plurality of flatplates bent to form diagonal flanges and having the body parts of theplates, forming the horizontal top and bottom flanges of the troughs,joined by diagonal plates of like shape.

4:. VA metal trough floor for bridges comprising a plurality offlatplates bent to form diagonal flanges and having the body part of eachplate overlapping and riveted to the flanged part of the adjoiningplate.

5. In a metal trough floor, the combination of a plurality of platescomprising flat portions and angular flanges and having the yangularflanges progressively connected to the flat portions of the adjoiningplates from plate to plate. Y

6. A metal trough floor for bridges having horizontal trough flangemembers and connecting webs, made up of trough flange and web members ofthe same shape but having greater thickness in the trough flanges thanin the webs.

7 In a metal trough floor for bridges having horizontal trough flangemembers and diagonal webs, the combination of a plurality of bent platesof the same shape in cross section and connected at their adjoiningedges to form the flanges and the webs of the troughs.

8. In a metal trough floor1 for bridges having horizontal trough flangesand diagonal webs, the combination of a plurality of horizontal anddiagonal members comprising plates bent at their edges diagonally to thebodies ot the plates and having the web members of the troughs connectedwholly beneath the top trough flange members and eholly above the bottomtrough flange mem- 9. In a metal trough ioor for brid es havinghorizontal trough flanges and iagonal webs, the combination of bentplates at the topand bottom of the troughs, forming the flanges, havingtheir bent `portions extending diagonally in a downwardly and an up-Wardly direction respectively, and diagonal bent plates connecting theseplates and form ing the Webs and having their bent portions extendinghorizontally for connection With the plates.

l0. In a metal trough floor for bridges having horizontal trough iangesand diagonal Webs, flat top and bottom trough flange plates bent alongone edge each, in combination with Web plates of corresponding form butdifferent thickness riveted to the flange plates so that the bentportion ofone plate is riveted to the body portion of the adjoiningplate.

1L A' metal trough floor for bridges comprising iiat top and bottommembers7 each flanged at one side, in combination with Web members eachanged at one side, the llanges of the web members being Connectedbeneath the top and above the bottom of the body portions of the top andbottom members and with the bodies ofthe Webs connected to the Y flangesof the top and bottom ortions.

CLARENCE 1H.- C UBBUCK.

